Pope Linus

Linus (died c. AD 76) was, according to several early sources, the second Bishop of Rome, and is listed by the Roman Catholic church as the second pope.

His papacy lasted from c. AD 67 to his death. According to other early sources, Pope Clement I was the second pope; according to the Catholic Church's Annuario Pontificio, however, Clement I was the fourth pope. Among those believed by the Catholic Church to have held the position of pope, only Clement, Linus and Peter are specifically mentioned in the New Testament.

Early Bishops of Rome

The earliest witness to Linus's status as bishop was Irenaeus, who in about the year 180 wrote, "The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate." The Oxford Dictionary of Popes interprets Irenaeus as classifying Linus as the first bishop of Rome. Linus is presented by Jerome as "the first after Peter to be in charge of the Roman Church" and by Eusebius as "the first to receive the episcopate of the church at Rome, after the martyrdom of Paul and Peter".John Chrysostom wrote, "This Linus, some say, was second Bishop of the Church of Rome after Peter", while the Liberian Catalogue presents Peter as the first Bishop of Rome and Linus as his successor in the same office.